As some restaurants ditch seed oils for beef tallow, UPEI prof warns it's no health upgrade
At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying — so much so that he once considered removing fried foods from his menu altogether.
"So, I found an alternative… by going back to my roots," the Portuguese chef told This is P.E.I. podcast host Mitch Cormier.
That alternative is beef tallow, or rendered beef fat. Gameiro said Portuguese and Italian cooking methods often use animal fats like lard and beef fat for cooking as well as preservation.
Now his restaurant has eliminated seed oils from the kitchen and switched to beef tallow for frying.
The change is costing him more, almost double compared to seed oils, but he believes it's the right choice for both his business and his customers.
"It's a matter of principle, and taste for the customer," he said.
Beef tallow has recently gained new popularity, partly thanks to high-profile figures like U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Back in March, Kennedy appeared in a Fox News interview with a cheeseburger and fries, endorsing a burger chain's decision to fry their food in beef tallow. The interview was one of many instances in which Kennedy publicly criticized seed oils, despite decades of research supporting their use.
Dietitians like Jennifer Taylor, who teaches courses in food and nutrition at the University of Prince Edward Island, are concerned about these recent shifts in public messaging. While seed oils aren't perfect, she said eliminating them doesn't mean health benefits.
Often known as cooking or vegetable oils, seed oils come from the seeds of plants such as canola, corn, soybeans or sunflowers.
The oils have a high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids and low concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids. Both are polyunsaturated fats, which can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in blood — reducing the risk for heart disease and stroke.
In comparison, animal-based oils or fats like beef tallow have saturated fats, which can raise your bad cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are also found in tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil.
"The amount of evidence that palm oil, coconut oil and beef tallow can make your health worse is huge. You look at all the major organizations — you know, the World Health Organization, any big organization in the U.S., in the U.K., in Europe — they're all saying the same thing," Taylor said.
Taylor said she's aware of the recent resurgence of beef tallow, appearing in social media skincare trends and having high-profile individuals promoting it.
"Pushing beef tallow for health reasons is ludicrous, in my mind," the dietitian said.
However, while there are health benefits to seed oils, they can pose risks when reused over and over again for frying, Taylor said. That's because polyunsaturated fats are vulnerable to oxidation — chemical changes that occur when exposed to oxygen and heat repeatedly.
"Things start to break down, and you can form compounds that are, you know, not necessarily very good for you."
That's why she recommends choosing reputable restaurants that regularly change their oil.
"A good restaurant is not going to let their oil get black," she said.
Another reason some people are concerned about seed oils is that some old research suggests having a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids could lead to higher levels of chronic inflammation, she said.
"We know now that pretty much every disease that we worry about is basically coming from an inflammatory process. So if you eat a lot of foods that are what we would call pro-inflammatory foods, you might be more likely to develop high cholesterol, you might be more likely to get cancer, those kinds of things."
Still, she stressed that nutritional scientists consider both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to be healthy fats.
"We have a mountain of evidence that says that these healthy fats, that we continue to say are healthy fats, will decrease your risk of the things that kill us," she said.
"And then we have a little tiny bit of evidence that says maybe these omega-6s might lead to inflammation, but it's more of a theory. We don't really have any proof for that."
Taylor said it's important that people evaluate the source and quality of any health claims, especially when they come from individuals without expertise in nutrition.
"When an individual MD comes out with a claim, you have to ask them, 'Well, how much evidence do you have?'... and 'How much background do you have in nutrition?'"
In the end, Taylor said that despite the health benefits of seed oils, moderation is important — especially when it comes to fried foods.
"You're not supposed to be eating buckets of any kind of oil."
Variety is also key, she said. Nutrients like omega-3s can be found not just in seed oils but in many healthy foods, including fish, nuts, seeds and avocados.
As for Gameiro, he said that after reading more about both types, he found beef tallow to be less processed than seed oils. Since making the switch, he's noticed a real differences in both taste and texture.
"The fries come out in a way that they never did with seed oils," he said. "It's a much lighter fry. And even the... fish and chips, it's much lighter, better tasting."
He also said beef tallow can last longer in the fryer, as long as it stays under 350 F.
Gameiro isn't worried about losing customers. When he posted about the change on social media, the response was largely positive, he said.
Still, he agrees with Taylor on at least one point: Fried food is still fried food.
"I don't find they're something that is great for your health. You have to limit the consumption."
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